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Many children think that all small creatures are insects. They all are animals but slugs, snails, spiders, millipedes, roly-polies and worms are not insects. The American Museum of Natural History has a free download guide for teachers, Life in the Leaf Litter, that has illustrations your students might be interested in.
http://www.amnh.org/our-research/center-for-biodiversity-conservation/publications/general-interest/life-in-the-leaf-litter
You might keep a container of Tenebrio beetle in the classroom so children can observe their growth and metamorphosis from larva to pupa to adult beetle. You can buy them at pet stores where they are sold as 'mealworms.' I don't use that term with children because it is confusing--they are insects, not worms. Children understand if you introduce the term 'larva,' like a caterpillar!
This topic is usually high interest for children so they want to measure, count, tally, and compare the animals as they change, and draw and write about their observations. I uploaded a beetle count page I created. It can be used as a page or enlarged to poster size.
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